Pop-up sprinkler assembly



Oct. 8, 1968 w. BRITTAIN ET AL 3,404,341

POP"'UP SPRINKLER ASSEMBLY Filed Oct. 22, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 i /Z4 i s i w m: I Li I I I I E v 3 v ;I 44 ,1 a? i ll 5 )1 "1 2/ :5 a

INVENTOR5 WILLIAM LBRITTAIN BY WILLIAM J. TRIC KEY ArrOEA/Eya' Oct. 8, 1968 Filed Oct. 22, 1965 L I I iri; f' I i j /20 6 l! 4 I l //Z w. L. BRITTAIN E Al. 3,404,841

POP-UP SPRINKLER ASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR5 WILLIAM L. BRITTAIN WILLIAM J. TRICKEY POP-UP SPRINKLER ASSEMBLY William L. Brittain, Williamstomand William J. Trlclrey, East Lansing, Micln, assignorsto Mahogany Corporation, Williamston, Mich.,-a corporation of Michigar're.

Filed Oct. 22, 1965, Ser. No. 500,657... 5 Claims.. (Cl. 239-204) a ABSTRACT onrnanrscLosU'Rii Anapparatus for use with underground lawn sprinkler systems, such apparatus having an adjustable risersection for positioning the sprinkler head at a: selected elevation above an underground water supply conduit, and a pop-up spray nozzle adapted to be'elevated inresponse to water pressure in said conduit.

' The present invention relates to watersprinkler systems,

and particularly to riser assemblies for. such systemsthat are adjustable in height and which include spray nozzles which are responsive to water pressure in. the systemto be raised to an operative position above the level ofthe sprinkler head.

In lawn sprinkler systems, water supply conduits areinstalled below the lawn surface and connected to sprinkler heads bya vertical risenIn systems such as-this, it is desirable that the sprinkler head be disposed flush with the ground; For purposes such as this, 'adjustablerisers have beendeveloped; such as is disclosed by way ofexample in United States Letters Patent No. 3,084,869 and pending application Ser. No. 452,695, filed May. 3, 1965, now Patent No. 3,369,828. In risersof the type shown in the aforesaid patent and the'pending application, the riser is vertically adjustable so that during installation .-a more simplified procedure can be followed for locating the sprinkler head flush with the surface of-the ground. than was possible with other'types of prior art devices.

Not only is it desirable that the sprinkler :head .be disposed flush with the ground, but it is also desirable that the sprinkler assembly include a spray nozzle which can be elevated to a position abovethesprinkler head in response to water pressure in the lawn sprinkler system so that the sprinkling operation of the spray nozzle will not be affected by surrounding grass or'other obstructions. Lawn sprinkler assemblies of this type may be referred to as pop-up sprinklers because they automatically pop up to an elevated position in response to liquid pressure in ,the water supply line, and they descend to their normal seated positions within the sprinkler heads when the supply of wateris interrupted. Inmaking installations of pop-up sprinkler assemblies in the past, various problems have arisen. Oneof the problems that .exists in connection with :prior art devices is that-of installing the sprinkler head in a simple manner so that itwill be flush with the ground when installed and so that it can easily be readjusted at subsequent date, after the ground has settled, to'assure that the sprinkler head again does not project above the surface of theground. A second problem which exists when installing a sprinklersystem of this type'i'is that of flushing the system quickly and easily to remove dirt and other water flow-impedme'nt-s which-may inadvertently have dropped into the risers or the underground conduits during installation of the-sprinkler system. When carryinguon the:flushing operation, it is desirabletoebe able to remove the sprinkler heads so that-the flushing operation can'be carried out quickly and properly, and thereafter to reinstall the spray nozzles and torreset the sprinklerheads-at their proper levels in ,a rninimum of time and with a minimum of labor. Still another problem that exists with prior art devices is that of replacing defecreseat themselves vin their sprinkler heads after the liquid 3,404,841 Patented Oct. 8,196.8

tivespray nozzles or of changing to new nozzles having different spray characteristics. Such operations in the past have been undulytime'cons'uming and troublesome to perform. 3 5

Not only have problems existed in itheinfstalla'tion, of

. the sprinkler systems of the foregoing character,- but problems havealso arisen in connection with the operation of high pop-up type .sprinkler nozzles. It has been found that a relatively large percentage of the priorart spray nozzles of the pop-up type which are now in use fail to pressure in the sprinkler system has been interrupted with the result that the spray nozzles and their stems have re mained elevated above the surface of the ground where they are readily subject to damage, such as-may occur if a lawn mower should pass over them, or where they can be damaged on golf courses or similar lawn .areas as a result of being struck bygolf. carts and the like. i H

It is one of the objects of the present invention to.pro-.

vide an improved lawn sprinkler-assembly which is con.

structed and arranged to facilitate simple and rapidinstallation and which subsequently can easily be readjusted so that the sprinkler head will always be flush with the ground.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved lawn sprinkler assembly which is constructed and arrangedsothat the sprinkler head thereof can easily be opened to allow rapid flushing of the sprinkler system during installation.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved sprinkler assembly which is constructed and arranged so that the sprinkler nozzle can easily be removed during the flushing operation or subsequently thereafter when it is desired to replace the sprinkler nozzle with a new nozzle or with one of a dilferent design.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved sprinkler assembly which is constructed so that it employs a sprinkler nozzle which is responsive to pressure in the system to elevate the nozzle above the level of the surrounding lawn area.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a lawn sprinkler assembly of the foregoing character which is constructed and arranged so that the pop-up nozzle, when in its elevated position, will always be held so that it sprays in the proper direction.

It "is another object of the present invention to provide a lawn sprinkler assembly of the foregoing character which is constructed and arranged so that the pop-up spray nozzle will reseat itself automatically as soon as the pressure in the system is interrupted and which is characterized by absence of faulty operation so that inadvertent sticking of the spray nozzle in an elevated position is avoided.

It is still another object'of the present invention to provide a sprinkler assembly of the foregoing character which is constructed and arranged so that the extent of elevation of the pop-up nozzle can be selectively established.

Other objects of this invention will appear in the follow ing description and appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

In the drawings:

I FIGUREl is a top plan view of a water sprinkler assembly embodying the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a section taken on the .line 2-2 of FIG. 1 showing the water sprinkler assembly connected to a con duit of the sprinkler system;

- FIGURE 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

, FIGURE 4 is a section taken on the line 4-4 of G- FIGURE 5 is a vertical section of another form of a Water sprinkler assembly, embodying the present invention, shown connected to a conduit of a sprinkler system;

FIGURE 6 is a section taken on the line 6-6 of FIG.

FIGURE 7 is a section taken on the line 77 of FIG. 5; and

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary elevation, showing a plurality of positions to which the spray nozzle of the embodiment of FIG. 5 can be elevated.

Before explaining the present invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. It is also to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed therein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

Referring now to the drawings, the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. l4, will be described in greater detail. As there shown, the lawn sprinkler assembly 10 is connected to a conduit 12 which is part of a lawn sprinkler system. The lawn sprinkler assembly 10 includes the sprinkler head 14 which is formed of a two-piece construction having an inner housing 16 threadedly connected at its upper end to the outer housing 18. The latter is formed as an integral part of the conduit 20 which is a part of a vertical riser assembly 22. Extending into the upper end of the conduit 20 is a hollow vertical stem 24 which is axially movable within the conduit 20. Threadedly connected to the upper end of the stem 24 is a spray nozzle 26 which may be of any suitable design. The illustrated spray nozzle 26 is one which is designed to spray water in a full 360 pattern, and it includes a spider 28 which has four passageways therein which are directed to impart a swirling motion to the water which flows in a conventional manner through the stem 24 and the passageways 30 and out the upper orifice 32. Positioned within the spray nozzle 26 for adjusting the spray pattern from the nozzle is the adjustment screw 34.

Retained on the bottom of the stem 24 by means of the outwardly flared tangs 36 is an annulus 38, preferably formed from nylon. The annulus 38 has four axially extending grooves or slots 40 therein, two of which are diametrically opposed and are adapted to receive the tongues or ribs 42 which are formed in the inner walls of the conduit 20. By virtue of this arrangement, the stem 24 can travel axially within the conduit 20, but it is restricted against rotational movement. This assures that the sprinkler head 26 will always remain oriented in a fixed position when in its elevated position. This is not significant with respect to the nozzle 26, because the latter is designed to spray a 360 pattern, but it is significant with respect to spray nozzles of the type which will spray only a limited pattern, such as are desirable adjacent to a sidewalk or adjacent to a building where the spray is to be discharged from only one side of the nozzle. In these instances, it is important that the spray head always assume the same position in which it was installed so that the water will be sprayed continuously in the proper direction. It will be understood that the tongue and groove arrangement can be reversed so that the tongues are formed in the annulus 38 and the grooves are formed in the inner walls of conduit 20.

It will be noted that only two of the axial grooves 40 travel on the ribs or tongues 42. The remaining two grooves 44 provide small openings wherein water from the system can flow to provide a washing action for assuring that the stem 24 will travel freely and unimpeded upwardly within the conduit 20 when the water pressure is initially introduced into the vertical riser assembly 22. It will be observed that mounted above the annulus 38 is a spacer element 44 above which is mounted a locking ring 46. When water pressure has elevated the spray nozzle 26 and attached stem 24 to the elevated position shown in solid lines in FIG. 2, the lock ring 46 will be in engagement with the lower end of the inner housing 16, thereby limiting the extent of upward movement of the spray nozzle 26 and attached stem 24. In the absence of water pressure in the system, the spray nozzle and attached stem 24 will descend to the dotted line position shown at 48.

One of the features of the present invention is the construction and arrangement that assures that the spray nozzle 26 and attached stem 24 will always return to the seated position shown in dotted lines at 48. It will be observed that the inner housing 16 has an opening 50 therein which is adapted to receive snugly the outer dimension of the stem 24, and the lower end, or the annulus 38, is adapted to travel in close engagement with the inner wall of the conduit 20. These spaced bearings and the tongue and groove construction that exists between the annulus 38 and the inner wall of the conduit 20 assures that there will be substantially no lateral movement of the stem with respect to the conduit 20. Thus, by virtue of the two spaced bearing portions at 50 and at the tongue and groove construction, an arrangement is provided which assures that the spray nozzle 26 and the attached stem 24 will not become cocked so as to be out of vertical alignment, and thereby to remain elevated inadvertently subsequent to interruption of the flow of water through the system 12.

The details of the vertical adjustable riser 22 will be described briefly, and for a more detailed description of the same, reference is made to copending application Ser. No. 452,695, filed May 3, 1965. The vertical adjustable riser 22 has a lower tubular section 52 which has a noncircular internal bore 54. In the present instance the internal bore is an octagonal section, but any suitable noncircular construction may be employed. Threadedly connected to the lower end of the conduit 20 is a seal assembly 56 which includes a resilient annulus 58 which is adapted to be expanded radially outwardly to lock the conduit 20 in any desired vertical position merely by turning the outer housing 18 on the upper end of conduit 20 so as to cause rotation of the conduit 20 relative to the seal assembly 56. The latter will be held against rotation by the noncircular members 60 and 62 which in this instance are octagonal members that mate with the octagonal interior of conduit 20. It will be observed that when the seal assembly 56 is held against rotation while the conduit 20 is turned, the members 60 and 62 will move axially with respect to each other to either increase or decrease the axial compression on the annulus 58, and thereby either expand or allow the annulus 58 to contract radially for holding or releasing the lower tubular section 52.

One of the features of the present invention is the ease with which the present unit can be installed. As was explained in copending application, Ser. No. 452,695, the elevation of the sprinkler head 14 can readily be set at any elevation above the level of the conduit 12 in the underground sprinkler system, merely by loosening the seal assembly 56 by turning the head 14 relative to the lower conduit section 52. The upper conduit 20 is then free to move axially relative to lower conduit section 58 until such time as the seal assembly 56 is against tightened by turning head 14.

When the present invention is used in the installation of a sprinkler system, the normal procedure after laying the underground conduits, connecting the risers and refilling the dirt, will be to remove the inner housing 16 from outer housing 18 and withdraw the inner housing together with the spray nozzle 26 and connected stem 24. The adjustable riser 22 would then be set at its highest position. Water can then be allowed to flow through the sprinkler system to flush out any dirt or other undesirable material that may inadvertently have entered the system during installation. After the flushing has been completed, the spray nozzle and its stem 24 and the inner housing 16 can be reinserted in place within the outer housing 18, and the sprinkler head 14 can be lowered and secured in place at ground level merely by turning the head 14 by means of the spanner wrench fittings 60.

In its normal operation, the spray nozzle will be seated within the chamber defined by the inner housing 16. When water is introduced under pressure into the system 12, the pressure will act on the effective areas of the underside of the stem 24 and spray nozzle 26 to raise them to the elevated position shown in FIG. 2. Two axially spaced bearings for the stem 24 are always present to assure that the stem 24 will constantly remain in a vertical position. As explained, these bearing points are provided at the opening 50 in the inner housing 16 and at the tongue and groove construction 40, 42. Thus, cocking of the nozzle and stem, as so often occurs in prior art devices, is avoided, and on interruption of the water pressure, the nozzle and stem will drop freely to their normal seated positions.

A modified form of the invention is shown in FIGS. 5-8 to which reference is now made. As there shown, a lawn sprinkler assembly 110 is shown which is very similar in construction to the sprinkler assembly 10, previously described. The principal difference is that the stem 112 has a plurality of annular grooves 114, 116 and 118 into which the locking ring assembly 120 may, be inserted. As shown, the locking ring assembly 120 is fitted into the annular groove 118 so that the spray nozzle 26 can be elevated only to the illustrated position. However, by selectively changing the locking ring assembly 120 to either the annular groove 116 or 114 will allow the spray nozzle 26 to be elevated to either of the positions at 122 or 124, FIG. 8. Thus, it can be seen that within limits, any desired rise of the nozzle 26 can be obtained merely by proper selection of the groove 114, 116, 118 that is selected for seating the lock ring assembly 120.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. A lawn sprinkler assembly for an underground sprinkler system comprising a vertical riser defining a Water passageway therethrough and having a sprinkler head for a spray nozzle at its upper end, a spray nozzle normally seated in said head, an axially movable hollow vertical stern having an upper end attached to and communicating with said spray nozzle and a lower end extending into and communicating with said vertical riser, said vertical riser and said hollow stem having interengaged bearing means restricting lateral movement and permitting free axial movement of said stem, said interengaged bearing means having cooperatively engaged vertically extending tongue and groove portions extending along the inner and outer surfaces of said riser and stem respectively and restricting movement between said means to axial movement, guide bearing means in said head coaxially aligned with and in axially spaced relation to said interengaged bearing means for cooperating with said interengaged bearing means in maintaining said stem in coaxial alignment with said riser, said hollow stem and attached spray nozzle being responsive to water pressure in said vertical riser to be elevated to a position wherein said spray nozzle is a predetermined distance above its normal seated position, and stop means to limit to said predetermined distance the extent of elevation of said stem and attached spray nozzle.

2. A lawn sprinkler assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tongue portion is in said riser and the groove portion is in said stem.

3. A lawn sprinkler assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the groove portion is in said riser and the tongue portion is in said stem.

4. A lawn sprinkler assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein there are greater numbers of grooves than there are tongues.

5. A lawn sprinkler assembly for an underground sprinkler system comprising a vertical riser defining a Water passageway therethrough and having a sprinkler head for a spray nozzle at its upper end, a spray nozzle normally seated in said head, an axially movable hollow vertical stem having an upper end attached to and communicating with said spray nozzle and a lower end extending into and communicating with said vertical riser, said vertical riser and said hollow stern having interengaged bearing means restricting lateral movement and permitting free axial movement of said stem, guide bearing means in said head coaxially aligned with and in axially spaced relation to said interengaged bearing means for cooperating with said interengaged bearing means in maintaining said stem in coaxia-l alignment with said riser, said hollow stem and attached spray nozzle being responsive to water pressure in said vertical riser to be elevated to a position wherein said spray nozzle is a predetermined distance above its normal seated position, and stop means to limit to said predetermined distance the extent of elevation of said stem and attached spray nozzle, said stop means comprising an annulus seated on said stem to define an annular shoulder engageable with a stationary abutment on said head, said stem having a plurality of axially spaced seats for receiving said annulus thereby providing means for optionally selecting the extent of elevation of the stern and spray nozzle.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,892,959 1/1933 Lippert 239206 2,031,754 2/1936 Bacigalupi 239201 2,506,032 5/1950 McKinley 239204 2,812,977 ll/ 1957 Phillips 239-204 2,879,946 3/1959 Stipek 239204 2,981,481 4/1961 Hruby 239204 2,989,246 6/1961 Sloane 239204 2,990,120 6/1961 Reynolds 239204 X 3,034,728 5/1962 Hruby 239206 3,084,869 4/1963 Hutty et al 239201 3,268,173 8/1966 Costa 239206 M. HENSON WOOD, JR., Primary Examiner.

V. M. VVIGMAN, Assistant Examiner. 

